1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wiring harness and a manufacturing method of the same, particularly to a wiring harness disposed on a roof structure of a motor vehicle. The wiring harness includes a flexible flat circuit unit, a flexible printed circuit unit, a flat conductor circuit unit, or a ribbon-shaped circuit unit having round electrical wires.
2. Related Art
Many types of wiring harnesses having different length cables and used for different applications are prepared as inventories. The wiring harnesses are bundled with one another by using an adhesive tape for a motor vehicle to correspond with the type and grade of the vehicle. For an inventory management of the wiring harnesses, identification numbers are provided to the wiring harnesses. However, the inventory management of the wiring harnesses requires complicated work.
One of such wiring harnesses is illustrated in FIG. 8. The wiring harness is a specified grade one for a specified type vehicle. The wiring harness has a branch line for a dome lamp 1, a branch line for a vanity mirror lamp 2L arranged in a left side of the vehicle in the head direction thereof, a cable line for a vanity mirror lamp 2R arranged in a right side of the vehicle, a cable line for a rear room lamp 3R, a left-side branch line for another rear room lamp 3L, a branch line for a switch 4A of a sun roof, and a branch line for an electric control unit 4B of the sun roof.
As illustrated in the drawing, these electrical cables are generally roughly bundled by using tapes 5 at a lot of positions of the harness. The tapes 5 bundle some of electrical cables different in purposes at distributed points. The bundled electrical cables are secured, or example, by clamps 6 during assembling thereof and are incorporated into a wiring harness. The electrical cables each have one end which is received in a connector 7.
For example, when a normal-grade motor vehicle requires no sun roof, a specified identification number is necessary for identifying a wiring harness having no sun roof circuit. That is, with the increase of grades of the motor vehicles, types of associated wiring harnesses increase even when the vehicles are generally of the same type. For each grade of the vehicles, each identification number is determined to manage an associated wiring harness.
As discussed with respect to FIG. 8, the prior-art on-roof wiring harness having an identification number is assembled by bundling the electrical cables with the tapes. Thus, different types of the wiring harnesses are required for different grade motor vehicles.
For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, even for motor vehicles of the same type, one of a grade requires a rear room lamp and a sun roof, while one of another grade requires a rear room lamp but does not require a sun roof. For each grade, each identification number should be provided to manage wiring harnesses thereof.
Furthermore, the electrical cables different in purposes should be bundled by using tapes to collectively assemble them into a wiring harness. Accordingly, with an increase of grades of the motor vehicles, the types of wiring harnesses increase. For each grade of the vehicles, each identification number is determined to manage an associated wiring harness, causing a complicated management of the increased number of wiring harnesses.
Moreover, dimensional differences of motor vehicles vary positions of branches of wiring harnesses and also vary the wiring harnesses in length. Thereby, each type of the wiring harnesses requires a specified jig for securing the wiring harness when pre-assembled in a factory, since securing points vary with the lengths of the wiring harnesses. Accordingly, it is difficult to use a common jig enabling a reduced space in an assembling factory.
The present invention aims to reduce types of wiring harnesses, for example, disposed on vehicle roofs and to eliminate an accompanied complicated management of the wiring harnesses. An object of the present invention is to provide a wiring harness substantially commonly applicable to motor vehicles of various grades and types without a complicated management thereof.
For achieving the object, the present invention provides a wiring harness commonly applicable to different types of applications or commonly applicable to different grade applications of the same type. The wiring harness comprises one or more standardized circuit units incorporated into the wiring harness.
Such configured wiring harnesses remarkably reduce the types thereof in number, eliminating a complicated management of the wiring harnesses to reduce the production cost of the wiring harnesses.
More specifically, the present invention provides a wiring harness commonly applicable to different types of motor vehicles or commonly applicable to different grade motor vehicles of the same type. The wiring harness comprises at least one of
a first standardized circuit unit having at least one of a dome lamp circuit and a vanity mirror lamp circuit,
a second standardized circuit unit having a rear room lamp circuit, and
a third standardized circuit unit having a sun roof circuit.
The wiring harness is constituted by several types of standardized pattern circuits. This remarkably reduces the type number of the wiring harnesses, eliminating a complicated management of the wiring harnesses to allow a reduced production cost of the wiring harnesses.
To assemble wiring harnesses for different types of vehicles, there are provided flexible flat circuit units, flexible printed circuit units, flat conductor circuit units, or ribbon-shaped circuit units each having electrical conductors. Such circuit units are convenient for steps of cutting, crimping, press-fitting, folding, and inspection thereof, particularly because each of the circuit units can have a standardized fold for redirecting itself at a desired position. This can provide wiring harnesses requiring no complicated management thereof, reducing a production cost of the wiring harnesses.
Preferably, the circuit unit has a fold to redirect the circuit unit.
Thus, the circuit unit can be redirected at a desired position and at a desired angle. This allows a free arrangement of the circuit unit on a roof of a motor vehicle. Furthermore, an easy and quick mounting of the circuit unit is allowed.
Preferably, the circuit unit has a connection portion at at least one end or at at least one intermediate portion of the circuit unit.
More specifically, the circuit unit has a connector at an end or at an intermediate portion of the circuit unit. The connector accommodates collectively terminals of electrical cables of the circuit unit.
Thus, the connection portion can collectively dispose electrical cables used for different purposes, enhancing an integrated pattern of the wiring harness. Particularly, the provision of the connector can surely collectively dispose the electrical cables, allowing an easy handling of the wiring harness.
Preferably, the circuit unit is defined in a flat shape. The flat-shaped circuit units are easily redirected by folding and are advantageous for temporally storing them as inventories without being bulky.
Preferably, the wiring harness is disposed on a motor vehicle roof. When the wiring harness is disposed on the motor vehicle roof, the roof may not require an extra thickness. Furthermore, the wiring harness can be easily modified in design in conformity with a structural design of the vehicle roof. Thus, the wiring harness is suitably disposed on the motor vehicle roof.
Similarly, for achieving the object, the present invention provides a manufacturing method of a wiring harness commonly applicable to different types of motor vehicles or commonly applicable to different grade motor vehicles of the same type. The method includes the steps of producing a plurality of standardized circuit units and assembling the circuit units to complete the wiring harness.
The wiring harness manufacturing method can provide a wiring harness incorporating several standardized patterns of circuits. Such configured wiring harnesses remarkably reduce the types thereof in number, eliminating a complicated management of the wiring harnesses to allow an efficient production of the wiring harnesses.
The present invention provides a more specified manufacturing method of a wiring harness commonly applicable to different types of motor vehicles or commonly applicable to different grade motor vehicles of the same type, the method comprising the steps of:
producing at least one of first to third standardized circuit units, the first standardized circuit unit having at least one of a dome lamp circuit and a vanity mirror lamp circuit, the second standardized circuit unit having a rear room lamp circuit, the third standardized circuit unit having a sun roof circuit, and
assembling the circuit units into the wiring harness.
The wiring harness manufacturing method can provide a wiring harness assembled to include several standardized pattern circuits for the same type vehicles. Such configured wiring harnesses remarkably reduce the types thereof in number, eliminating a complicated management of the wiring harnesses to allow an efficient production of the wiring harnesses.
Furthermore, to assemble wiring harnesses for different types of vehicles, there are provided flexible flat circuit units, flexible printed circuit units, flat conductor circuit units, or ribbon-shaped circuit units each having electrical conductors. Such circuit units are convenient for steps of cutting, crimping, press-fitting, folding, and inspection thereof, particularly because each of the circuit units can have a standardized fold for redirecting itself. This eliminates otherwise required preparation steps, allowing an efficient production of the wiring harness.
Preferably, the circuit unit has a fold to redirect the circuit unit.
Thus, the manufacturing method can easily redirect the electrical cables. This allows a quick production of the wiring harness.